The State Library of Massachusetts Author Talks Series is excited to host a panel discussion with David Gamble, Matthew Kiefer, and Rosalyn Negrón!
Please join us on Wednesday, May 15th at noon, in our historic reading room for a discussion between David Gamble, Matthew Kiefer, and Rosalyn Negron, all contributors to the recently published
Idea City: How to Make Boston More Livable, Equitable, and Resilient (UMASS Press, 2023). The book addresses a range of the challenges that Boston contends with in the twenty-first century and considers ways to improve the city for everyone. Many of the issues tackled, including resiliency, mobility, affordable housing, public health, social equity, and economic equality are of ever-increasing relevancy for cities around the world. The conversation, taking Boston as a case study, will provide food for thought for dedicated urbanists, whether involved in public policy, the design and planning of our cities, or simply involved and concerned urban citizens.
Panelists
David Gamble AIA AICP LEED AP is a Lecturer in Urban Design and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies at MIT. An architect and urban planner and Principal of Cambridge-based Gamble Associates, his research and writing investigate the catalytic effects of urban design and planning projects with a focus on the creative implementation strategies to overcome barriers to redevelopment. David is Author and Editor of “Idea City” (UMass Press, 2023) and co-author of “Rebuilding the American City” (co-author Patty Heyda, Routledge Press, 2016). He received his Masters of Architecture in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard.
Matthew J. Kiefer practices real estate development and land use law at Goulston & Storrs in Boston and is a Lecturer in Real Estate at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. His practice focuses on the nexus of private initiative and public policy and obtaining parcel dispositions and entitlements from public agencies for complex urban projects. He has a particular focus on cross-sectoral projects that address unique policy, feasibility and design challenges. Matthew has written and spoken widely on land use topics. He is a graduate of Boston University and the University of Michigan Law School, and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard GSD.
Rosalyn Negrón is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she is also Research Director for the Sustainable Solutions Lab. Rosalyn's research is primarily driven by issues of health and well-being, with particular attention to the role of decision-making, social connections, and social environments. A past Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Rosalyn’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health, the Max Planck Institute for Religious and Ethnic Diversity, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She leads several projects, including the Sustainable Solutions Lab climate adaptation stakeholder mapping project, and an NSF study to understand the complex factors that shaped Puerto Ricans' decision to leave or stay in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Beyond Puerto Rico, she has done research in Jamaica, Florida, New York City, and Boston. Rosalyn is a leader in transdisciplinary research and directs UMass Boston’s Transdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development program.
We will be livestreaming the talk on our
YouTube channel courtesy of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Broadcast Services - tune in at noon.
If you are able to join us in person for this talk, attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the authors as well as purchase a copy of Idea City. Books are $30.00; cash, check, and Venmo are accepted. As always, this author talk is free and open to all. Assisted listening devices will be made available upon request. Any questions or concerns, please email us at
AuthorTalks.StateLibrary@mass.gov.
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Author Talks Working Group
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